Testing is not necessary. Other countries buy the same drugs from the same Big Pharma

And how do you do that without removing the incentives for Pharma to create new drugs that will save lives?

@dermot235 I don't know for certain that it would, but if we presume that it would, I suppose there would have to be a formula that linked the costs of the drug, including R&D, to the price of the drug. This is an area of expertise that people in this field spend their careers developing ideas about how to find a balance but Big Pharma is so selfish they won't participate.

@LovinLarge I think we need a marketplace to incentivise innovation. But when a Pharma company has a drug that can save your life, then normal market forces just don't go to work to create incentives that are proportionate to the investment made by Big Pharma. Even thought Big Pharma spends Billions on research and development, they make Profits that are exponentially greater than their investments. I don't think Drugs need to be as expensive as they are to create incentives. The quest is how do you stop Big Pharma from charging extortionate prices in the US. Highest drug prices in the world are in the US.

Is that your idea of a solution to this Problem?

@dermot235 it was a comment. If you don't want me to comment. I don't have a solution other than banning lobbying.

@barjoe So have you ever considered why Drugs are much cheaper in Canada, Europe and the rest of the world

@dermot235 because they have a government price review board and they don't extend patents and after 5 years they allow generics of those meds to be sold.

@barjoe Same patent life in Europe as the US. 20 years

@dermot235 they recognize patent produces. They allow generics of a reverse molecule made with a process. The molecule is the same but the process is different. Most of those generics are made immediately mostly from Indian manufacturers. This can be sold iby Canadian apothecary 5 years after the drug was introduced.

@barjoe Not true. 20 year patents are respected worldwide

@dermot235 The principal law for patenting system in India is the Patents Act, 1970. Initially, according to the provisions of this law no product patent but only process patents could be granted for inventions relating to food, drugs and chemicals. However, since 2005 product patenting is allowed in India meanwhile China does whatever they want on everything else

@barjoe You are off topic now

@dermot235 it started with this but they're making a version of almost everything shortly after a drug is released. Those drugs appear before review board after 5 years. I don't know how this is off topic. Open forum anyway [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

@barjoe When a drug is purchased in the US it is essential purchased by the individual through there insurance company. When a drug is purchased in Europe or Canada it it bought in Bulk by a government for it's FREE health care system. So the Government health care system has better buying power because it buys drugs in Bulk. It's that simple. You private health care system is not good at buying drugs because of the way it's set up

The Book looks interesting. But foreword we can read now does not answer the question

@dermot235 [en.wikipedia.org]
[telegraph.co.uk]

@FearlessFly Not sure the Book really tackles why Drugs are so much dearer in the US than any other country in the world?